LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Treble Charger) & Three Inactive Band Notes!!

Today's post is a step forward and three steps back in a sense, as relating to our active band links, but the first story today is also a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, so here's what you should know!

Local/Toronto indie punk veterans Treble Charger will indeed return to the stage on Thursday, July 27th for a headlining concert at LopLops Lounge! I was reticent to list the show on the SMS when I first discovered it on LopLops' website's concert calendar, as a band of this scope returning the stage after a two year hiatus should have more promotion than it does, but tickets are indeed on sale for $25 on LopLops website, so it looks like it's definitely a thing. Last seen on a local stage at The Machine Shop in February 2015 (and elsewhere in Belleville that July), we had listed the platinum selling quartet as inactive on the site for the past year, but based on LopLops' website's article on the show, this isn't a one-off return. Greig, Bill, and company are "threatening to unleash a brand new CD on the world" and are "ready to hit the road", so assuming things line up as projected, their local show in two weeks will help re-kick things off for them!

No word yet on potential opening bands, and also no word on if Richard Mulligan is their new touring drummer (as noted in a Wikipedia article edit, but I don't consider Wikipedia to be a source.) This 19+ show has an advertised 9:00 PM start time, and you can buy tickets for $25 at the above links or presumably at LopLops in person. I don't know if this concert is intentionally on the down-low for public promotion or if it just hasn't fully commenced yet, but tickets are on sale, so it's not a secret. It's great to see Treble Charger back in action, so stay tuned for updates on July 27th's return show, and they are back in our active band links!

Next up, we have three bands to soon move to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity, the first of which being local classic/hard rock cover quintet That's Chester. The band has not announced anything online regarding their future status, but they have not issued a public statement on current or upcoming activity since their featured set at last year's Rotaryfest Stage 1 alongside numerous guest performers one year ago on Sunday. One of the most enduring bands covered on the SMS, That's Chester launched in 2004 and became a fan favourite sight at local concerts and festivals for the next decade, notably excepting a 2012-2013 breakup. Highlights of their run included nine Rotaryfest sets, appearances at numerous charity and community events (such as Toystock and Ride For Sight), regular gigs at various local bars through mid-2014, and their involvement in November 2015's local stage production of The Who's Tommy, which wrapped just days prior to the sudden passing of guitarist Eugene Orlando.

Though That's Chester focused their post-2014 attention on Tommy and Rotaryfest, their crowd-friendly brand of classic and hard rock was always worth checking out on local stages, and if they are now formally defunct, their Rotaryfest set last year was a nice way to give their run closure and pay tribute to Eugene's memory. Best of luck to Greg, Gabe, Aubrey, Ric, and their former singers in the future, and don't miss Bone Yard, Stiffler's Mom, Obsession, Mojo, Guitars & Tequila, and The Bearded Lounge to see what members are up to nowadays!

Also, another band being moved to our inactive band links are local classic/hard rock cover trio Havadder. Though the band has issued no public statements about their active status, they have not played live since headlining at The Rockstar Bar one year ago on Saturday, or posted on their Facebook page since promoting that concert. Active off and on from 2009-2016, and continually fronted by singer/guitarist Jason "Jugga" Roy, Havadder and their fluctuating lineups (including a sextet run from 2011-2012) were a reliable sight on local concert stages throughout the early-mid 2010s, which saw them frequent venues like The Rockstar Bar, The Rednecks Saloon, and the former Foggy Notions, perform at the Toystock fundraiser in 2015, bring live bands back to Studio 10, and even earn a spot at the 2012 Rock 'n Roar Festival in Spanish. In the past year, you may have seen Havadder alumni in bands like The 3 Day Millionaires, Soundcheck, Jack Spades, Project 421, Mid Life Crysis, and The Band Camp Rejects.

With a wide ranging set list that fit our coverage while entertaining general audiences, Havadder were always a welcome sight on local stages, and Jason's strong vocals and guitar work were always a constant no matter what form their lineup took! I'm unsure what happened to Havadder since last summer, but as Jason has shown before, they can always re-appear with a new lineup. Hopefully that does happen, but if you couldn't, you didn't! Best of luck to Jason, Travis, Scott, and other former band members in the future!

Finally, we're moving local classic/hard rock cover quartet Griphook to our inactive band links as well. While the band has not announced anything publically regarding their future, nothing has been stated by the band since they performed at Rotaryfest Stage 1 one year ago on Sunday themselves, notably alongside guest singer/guitarist Adam King while frontman Joel Syrette takes his own hiatus from the band to attend university out of town, as per their Facebook page last year. Debuting at November 2012's inaugural Toystock charity concert (notably alongside fellow 2012-2016 cover rockers Lucky 13), this union of Hollow, Bigsuit, and Gsis Murphy alumni quickly carved their own niche in the local scene with hard rocking renditions of their own at venues like The Rockstar Bar and The Roosevelt Hotel, plus turns at 2013's Rock 'n Roar Battle of the Bands in Spanish, the late Ray Brown's benefit show, and four consecutive Rotaryfest main stage lineups.

Whether you preferred Griphook with Joel or original frontman Jim O'Leary, this veteran quartet delivered their own entertaining blend of styles to local stages for the better part of 4 years, with hard rock augmented with some blues and alternative touches where need be! Griphook did leave the door open for Joel to pick up where he left off when his schooling wraps up, and hopefully that remains the case, but in the meantime, best of luck to him, Brian, Dan, Tony, and Jim in the future! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and weekend concert previews soon! Thanks everyone!